St. Paul to study organized trash collection, alley plowing

Tony Schmitz is tired of the trash.

Mattresses were tossed into the vacant property next to his Frogtown home. Old tires have shown up by his garage. He is one of many neighbors in St. Paul who support the City Council's decision Wednesday to look into a new way to pick up trash in the city — a controversial idea that has waste haulers on edge.

Residents currently have to select from and negotiate with one of the more than a dozen companies that operate in the city. Officials are considering switching to organized collection, like Minneapolis.

Small haulers who have operated in St. Paul for decades said that would leave customers with fewer options and fear it could put some companies out of business. There could be broader implications if St. Paul opts for organized collection, as more cities may decide to follow suit, said Bobby Stewart, who works at his parents' company, Highland Sanitation, which he eventually plans to take over.

"This has been what I've wanted to do my whole life, so this stuff is scary," Stewart said.

Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, has a plan that would prevent Stewart's feared chain reaction. This legislative session he plans to propose a five-year ban on cities adding organized collection. Garofalo has previously said that "taking away consumer choice is not working."

Members of the Macalester-Groveland Community Council, who completed an in-depth study of the issue last year, argue the opposite — that St. Paul's status quo is inefficient and needs to change.

Some companies have clients spread across the city, leading to multiple trucks rumbling through streets causing wear and tear and polluting the environment, said Liz Boyer, the community council's director.

"When you have to pick up trash every seventh house, that's not very efficient," said City Council Member Dai Thao, whose ward includes Schmitz's neighborhood.

He said trash is a top priority for many community members, and there needs to be a better system to handle the disposal of bulky items like sofas and mattresses. St. Paul spends about $250,000 a year to collect and dispose of illegally dumped trash in parks and public rights of way, according to city documents.

"People were just really tired of how dirty it can be," Thao said.

Boyer said she is optimistic the switch to an organized system could also save residents money, because haulers would be spending less on gas and could pass along those savings to customers.

St. Paul designated $330,000 in this year's budget to begin the transition to organized collection. Council President Russ Stark said small haulers will be involved in that process and he has already been talking with them about concerns.

"We'll work with the city if that's what we have to do to stay in business," said Jim Berquist, of Ken Berquist and Son Disposal. Most of the customers Berquist has heard from do not want to lose their freedom of choice and end up with a hauler they dislike, he said.

Stewart, of Highland Sanitation, acknowledged that organized collection will cut down on the number of trucks driving down streets.

"At the same time, what are you willing to sacrifice?" he said, noting that his parents' company provides customized services he doubts will be offered in an organized system.

If the city's geography is divvied up and each company is given a designated area, that could limit future opportunities to expand their business, haulers said.

But the small companies could expand in different ways, Thao said. On Wednesday he suggested the city also study an organized system for snowplowing alleys. Neighbors currently must contract with a private plow driver to get rid of snow in alleys.

"We have a lot of seniors who need accessible alleys in the wintertime," Thao said. "We think this may be an opportunity for small haulers to do more."

Council members seemed generally supportive of coordinated plowing. But they suggested tackling it separately from trash hauling and questioned how the plowing would be funded.

The plow proposal makes sense to Gene Marault, who said the alley behind her Frogtown home is not plowed. She has stopped using her garage in the winter and parks on the road in front of her home.

She has to move her car during snow emergencies — but at least she's not getting stuck in the alley.

"We live in a wintry place. We need to do snowplowing," Marault said.

City staff are scheduled to gather public input on both topics online and at community meetings and report to the City Council in May.

Jessie Van Berkel • 612-673-4649